Bethel, WA
Bethel wildfire risk explained
Bethel sits at the 17th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 1,900 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Bethel at the 17th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Bethel (53.8% of 1,900 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 46.2% sit in the Direct zone.
Bethel against the rest of the country
Bethel scores 17th nationally and 23rd within Washington — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Bethel ranks 26,269 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,765 by building count (1 is largest). Within Washington alone, it ranks 485 of 628 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Washington on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Bethel's low rating (17th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Bethel
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Bethel (53.8% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,900 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Bethel. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Bethel, see the exposure-zones guide.